...“ Legends on the Net” In the article “ Legends on the net”, Jan Fernback examines a unique type of folklore – urban legends and their transformation into cyberspace. The author used two main arguments to support her contention. First, many characteristics of contemporary urban legends are inherited from oral folklore that existed long time ago before technology appeared. Second argument is as mediated urban legends gradually proliferate, cyberspace plays an important role for primary oral culture to survive and represents actual meaning of orality and literacy. According to the article, Professor Jan Brunvard had first coined the term “urban legends” since 1968. Urban legends are a unique type of folklore – traditional beliefs, stories and customs of community that had been passed through the generations by words of mouth. Familiar cultural mores, values and beliefs are presented in folklores. Urban legends inherit many similar characteristics from folklores. For example, they are popular stories concerning with humiliating, humorous, horrible and supernatural events that are transmitted from people to people via oral or written communication. Legends are anonymous because they arise spontaneously and are difficult to trace the origin of the stories. Urban legends are usually false however, they tell a type of truth. They unselfconsciously reflect the major concerns of individuals in societies. Urban legends somehow contain moralistic component and reinforce social...
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...Foundations of Mythology HUM105 Foundations of Mythology In the popular context, the word “myth” is generally used to describe urban legends. Urban legends are false stories, told as if they were true, and passed on to others. Myth, in this context, is defined as stories that undergo a series of events sharing characteristics of legends and folktales. These stories, present themselves in our everyday lives through fictional characters, such as Tooth Fairy or Cupid. In an academic setting, the word “myth” is used to describe ancient narratives that attempt to answer the enduring and fundamental human questions such as creation (Leonard & McClure, p. 1, 2004). The word mythology is derived from both Greek words mythos and logos. The academic study of mythology could be described as the logical thinking used to produce mythical thinking; hence mythos forms the structure in which logos is employed. I would describe myths as an unexplainable or unknown actual event created by individuals to make sense of the unknown. Creation is a perfect example of this. Cultures around the world have different Myths. They all share the basic human desire to understand life and its meaning. Claude Lévi-Strauss expresses similar sentiments about myth’s functions when he postulates that myths serve to mediate conflicting or dualistic elements of society and life and conflicting nature of human beings are same around the world. (Leonard & McClure, p. 18, 2004). ...
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...MYTHOLOGY The word myth is used widely by many cultures. Myths can be used for poetry for Irish poets, for example, who use Celtic myths as inspiration. One would use “it’s a myth” to mean a story or urban legend that may be not quite true, but popular belief. In academic context, the word myth is utilized to describe an ancient narrative as an answer to a basic human question. Myths are used to describe origins of people to explain their roots and history. Myths explain why some of our characteristics are the way they are as we trace our heritage through these stories told to us in books or from our elders. They are primarily chronicles of our past as a society that may or may not be statistically true and may not be able to be verified, however they can be used to validate some of our characteristics. Myths can address similar themes from different countries as they tackle moral issues that encompass mankind, such as infidelity, betrayal, honor, bravery, etc. Myths also explain the known, like natural events for instance, rainbows, storms, rain, etc. They similarly describe matters of global importance as the creation of man, how the world was formed or the existence of god. Many cultures tell the same myths but in different ways. They may have different persons in their stories, but are similar in matter. A myth about the creation of man may be told in one way in Egypt and another way in Argentina, however both are describing the same topic. An Irish myth may explain...
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...Sigrid Koepke-Fruend Popularly the word “myth is used to describe urban legends or stories that are not true but told by someone to as if they were true. Academically, the word myth is used to describe ancient narratives that tries to answer human questions such as how the world was created or how the human race what created. The word mythology comes from Greek words such as mythos and logos. Mythology can be described as logical thinking. I would describe myths as an unexplainable or unknown actual event created by individuals to make sense of the unknown such as creation of the universe. Cultures around the world have different myths that all share the basic human desire to understand life and its meaning. Creation is one of the most popular myths that these cultures share. The cultures utilize their surroundings and cultural backgrounds to help the citizens understand the unknown since we all have different backgrounds, it makes sense the stories would differ however, the premise of the story will remain the same. The most unusual creation myth I have come across is the Chinese legend of Pan Gu, Nü Wa and the cosmic egg. While the story is odd for me, it has the overall same purpose as the "big bang theory" or "God created the world in seven days" theory. They all share the same desire to explain the unexplainable. Belief, religion, knowledge, and mythology differ however, they have overlapping characteristics. Mythology is only one aspect of religion. Belief is directly related...
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...Florence C. Kho December 10 2012 Philippines Carrots The carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus, Etymology: from Late Latin carōta, from Greek καρότον karōton, originally from the Indo-European root ker- (horn), due to its horn-like shape) is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh. The most commonly eaten part of a carrot is a taproot, although the greens are edible as well. It is a domesticated form of the wild carrot Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia. The domestic carrot has been selectively bred for its greatly enlarged and more palatable, less woody-textured edible taproot. It is a biennial plant which grows a rosette of leaves in the spring and summer, while building up the stout taproot, which stores large amounts of sugars for the plant to flower in the second year. The flowering stem grows to about 1 metre (3 ft) tall, with an umbel of white flowers that produce a fruit called a mericarp by botanists, which is a type of schizocarp. Methods of consumption and Uses Carrots can be eaten in a variety...
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...Acceptance of Evolution and Support for Teaching Creationism in Public Schools: The Conditional Impact of Educational Attainment JOSEPH O. BAKER Department of Sociology and Anthropology East Tennessee State University Public acceptance of evolution remains low in the United States relative to other Western countries. Although advocates for the scientific community often highlight the need for improved education to change public opinion, analyses of data from a national sample of American adults indicate that the effects of educational attainment on attitudes toward evolution and creationism are uneven and contingent upon religious identity. Consequently, higher education will only shift public attitudes toward evolution and away from support for teaching creationism in public schools for those who take non-“literalist” interpretive stances on the Bible, or to the extent that it leads to fewer people with literalist religious identities. Keywords: evolution, creationism, religious identity, education, science and religion, public policy. INTRODUCTION Acceptance of evolution and support for creationism has been publicly debated since the initial diffusion of Darwin’s theory about the origin of species, particularly in the United States (Numbers 1998, 2006). From before the infamous Scopes Trial (see Larson 1997) to the present, many Americans have resisted ideas about evolution, leading to a relatively low global ranking on public acceptance of the theory...
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...concept of a wolf-human hybrid is rooted in evil. They are graphically described as “bestial, blood-drinking, human-flesh-eating creatures, endowed with more than human agility and strength” (Rudin 115). Werewolves served as popular antagonists throughout media, including television and cinema; yet, in recent years, the media’s perception of werewolves has taken a noticeable shift in the opposite direction. Stephenie Meyer, the critically acclaimed author of the Young Adult series The Twilight Saga, embodies this shift to the “new” werewolf. Meyer made a drastic change to the very nature of what was once a ferocious beast by characterizing werewolves as more gentle and protective. People wonder, though, what caused this sudden switch of characteristics? Through texts such as Rick Bass’ The Ninemile Wolf, Barry Holstun Lopez’s Of Wolves and Men, Valerie Fogleman’s piece “American Attitudes Towards Wolves: a History of Misperception,” Stephenie Meyer’s The Twilight Saga, and more, this paper will argue that the “original” werewolf belief was founded on America’s misperception of wolves and that, through revelations in animal studies, particularly the Endangered Species Act of 1973, modern American culture has transitioned into a more animal sympathetic society, creating literary changes in the behavior of werewolves to occur with acceptance. There is a definitive transition between the “original” werewolf and the “new” werewolf. The question, though, is where does this...
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...P5. Explain how and why groups of customers are targeted for selected products. In this unit, I’m going to explain how and why groups of customers are targeted for selected products. The main reason why organisations target a particular group of customers is to make profit, but there are a lot of other reasons why organisations choose to target customers. I’m going to describe Nike targeted customers and I’m also going to explain why and how they target customers. Nike is a very big organisation; therefore it will have a large target audience. Nike specialises in sports wear such as trainers, tracksuits, bags etc. Nike produces football boots; they can choose to target customers, consumers and businesses. For example, Nike can make football boots for kids aged between 10-15years, so although the products were made for the kids, their target audience will mainly be the parents, because they know kids might not be able to afford the product. In this situation, the parents are the customers and the kids are the consumers, because they are the actual ones using the product. Their target audience for the football boots can also be sports men and women, in this situation the sports men and women are the customers and consumers, because they are the actual ones purchasing the product and using it. Nike targets businesses as well with their football boots, other businesses such as JD and sports direct may choose to buy football boots from Nike, in order to sell to their...
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...to one’s own opinion and viewpoint rather than being based on facts. Both parties have used studies and statistical data to prove the rightfulness of their position. Deterrent effect Supporters of the death penalty argue, that most human being will not commit a criminal offence if they know they can be executed as a result. Abolitionists disagree and often believe that the death penalty aggravate serious crimes as the offender has already committed a crime and might not hesitate to violate other laws as they might feel like they have nothing to lose. Many different studies comparing states that are using the death penalty versus one that do not are inconclusive as they usually compare groups with similar characteristics (population, race, geographical proximity, urban and industrial development) but fail to account for crimes actually deterred. Enormous costs to...
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...The Evolution of John the Baptist in Christianity John the Baptist is one of a few recognized prophets in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. John lived by the Jordan River in Perea as an Essene Jew, around the time of Jesus’ ministry. Many know John as a non-divine apocalyptic preacher who claimed baptism would help one get into heaven, and it would be disadvantageous to ignore baptism. John is relevant to understanding historical Jesus not only because he baptized Jesus but because of their conflicting similarities. John and Jesus were both apocalyptic preachers, in the Essene Jewish sub-group, and popular during antiquity. Many scholars actually believe John was more popular in antiquity. Because of his greater popularity, many argue who kick started Christianity John or Jesus? One can see this argument through artistic paintings of John. Art was an important media for communication during antiquity. As Professor Boccaccini mentioned in lecture, most people in antiquity could not read; therefore, they used paintings to communicate. Painters use symbolic elements in their paintings to portray a message. These symbolic elements, such as red for matador, acted as stories or religious instruction (Boccaccini). Just as a written source, one can extract information from these paintings to find out about the historical character John. The first popular painting of John the Baptist originated in the 12th Century, right after the fourth crusade. During this time, medieval...
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...B.A.S.H. Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard The first documented bird strike was made by Orville Wright during a flight near Dayton, Ohio in 1905. Bird strikes have caused millions of dollars in damages to aircraft and loss of human life. Calbraith Rodgers, the first pilot to fly across the continental United States, ironically was also the first to die as a result of a bird strike. In 1912, he struck a gull, causing his plane to crash into the water at Long Beach, California. Recently bird strikes have been given heightened notoriety in the public due to the well publicized incident at La Guardia Airport, when both engines of an Airbus A320 were disabled by several birds being sucked into them. The pilot of the US Airways Flight 1549 landed the aircraft safely into the Hudson River, where all 150 passengers survived. Bird Aircraft Strike Hazards are of particular importance to me because about five times a month I work on the flight line at MCBH Kaneohe Bay. About once every other month I am asked to retrieve bird remains from the runway or notify air traffic control of populations of birds intruding our flight area. I have to locate all parts of the bird’s body, place the remains in a bag, and then give them to air traffic control for further investigation. The investigation usually takes place by trained wildlife biologists working at the airport. If not identifiable, The Smithsonian Institution's Feather Identification Laboratory is then given the remains for further analysis...
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...Anglo American Folk Music is considered as the traditional and typically anonymous music that is an expression of the life of people in a community and passed on through generation. Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. Folk music arose, and best survives, in societies not yet affected by mass communication and the commercialization of culture. It normally was shared and performed by the entire community (not by a special class of expert performers), and was transmitted by word of mouth. My observation included listening to folk songs and stories of Woody Guthrie. Woody Guthrie was one of those workers who headed to California in search of gainful employment. Woody wrote hundreds of songs between the 1930s and his death in 1967 of Huntington’s Chorea. The traditional American folk singer/songwriter, Woody Guthrie tells stories that often don’t even appear in history books. Woody Guthrie set the precedent for the breadth of issues and subjects about which an American folk singer could sing. His original tunes often put to work traditional melodies, as well as melodies to songs that were popular at the time. His lyrics encapsulated all the important issues of his time and of America in general, in plain and simple language that put words to what so many people were thinking and feeling. Quote from Woody Guthrie: "I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world and that if it has hit you pretty hard and knocked you for...
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...Race: The Cultural and Political Power of an Illusion in Latin America Race has been the most arguable and controversial subject in Latin American history. Since 16th century it has created a great deal of prejudice among Latin American people, it has been referred, as biological characteristics later modified to a social statue such are education, wealth and language. It has been under a heavy influence of cultural and political power where people were classified from their biological characteristics to their wealth. Through the time race has become the main tool for state creation and regulation. Race has become a status, which has structured and organized the nation but the term “race” has never itself been stable. In today’s Latin America modern theory of “race” has meaning of a political power, status and regulation, it’s a states way of monitoring and controlling of the heterogeneous nation. Race gradually has become a political cultural and economic power for Latin American state. In this paper I will argue about the idea that race in Latin America gradually has became just an illusion, a tool by which people were controlled structured and manipulated. Various articles will be presented to support and illustrate the transformation of the word “race “ and its cultural and political influence on Latin America. I will talk about the colonial to republic period idea of “race “ In Latin America and how the meaning of the word was manipulated. I will discuss the colonial...
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...The Diversity of the Mythological Creature Vampire Through Time and History It’s been a hundred years since Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and the vampire and its tales have swept the world in a whirlwind craze. Since, there has always been a fascination with the mystery of a vampire. Someone wearing plastic fangs, a cape, and black evening clothes will instantly remind you of the mythological creature. The much feared creature is and was portrayed in a number of ways. In the early days when they were just folklore, vampires were blood sucking predators and feared pale stalkers. In Vampire God: the Allure of the Dead in the Western Culture (2009), discussing the popularity of vampires in society, Mary Y. Hallab says that the folklore vampire is constantly compared to the other supernatural beings like witches and werewolf’s, and today’s concept is also a confused being, a zombie? A lover? Hallab states that “vampires are only those figures—folkloric, mythical, or literary—who are dead humans who are still capable of behaving as though they are alive.” Today, vampires have become a culture of their own, and are a huge part of mainstream pop culture. The Twilight Cullen’s and Sesame Street’s Count Dracula have a whole new appeal on adults and children. The appeal is not always good. According to Vampire Gothic, which is about vampire gothic cultures in United States, Teresa A. Goddu discusses a teenage vampire clan that was discovered in Murray, Kentucky, that was found...
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...from Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America Legend has it that the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is an "enchanted" dog, and certainly this must be true! 'Tis said he was used by the fairies and elves of Wales to pull fairy coaches, work fairy cattle, and serve as a steed for the fairy warriors. Even today those people with keen eyes and understanding hearts may see the marks of the "fairy saddle" in the coat over the shoulders. Pembrokes have been used by the Welsh as herding dogs, family companions, and guardians of the farm. They continue today to be workers and companions for their owners. It is believed that their ancestry dates back to at least the tenth century. It is unknown whether they are descended from the Vallhunds (Swedish cattle dogs possibly brought to Pembrokeshire by the Vikings) or from the ancestors of the present-day Schipperkes and Pomeranians that were brought to Wales by Flemish weavers. In the 1920's Corgis were recognized as pure-bred dogs in the United Kingdom. In 1934 the Pembroke and Cardigan Corgis were recognized by the English Kennel Club as separate breeds. American Kennel Club recognition of the two distinct breeds also occurred in that same year. Pembrokes are sensitive and intelligent dogs. They are easily trained as long as training is done with gentle handling and without severe physical correction. They are healthy and long-lived dogs and are excellent companions for either rural or urban families. So You Think You Want A Corgi?? ...
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